


Why Can't She Be You?

by bertollio



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-07-16 07:17:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7257886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bertollio/pseuds/bertollio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey came stumbling into his life, literally. What would his wife have to say about that?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bumping Into You

**Author's Note:**

> Modern AU's are my favorite genres to read and write, so you'll have to forgive me for never writing within the Star Wars universe. I don't know if I'll be continuing "My Wife," as I haven't had any ideas or inspiration to continue it. I'm already writing the second chapter to this story, though, so I'm hoping I'll last a while on this one. Thank you to all who gave such positive support on "My Wife," though! <3

One quick glance at the time told Kylo Ren he was already terribly late to his early meeting. Rubbing his eyes and running a hand through his greasy hair, he looked at the other body in his bed that was snoring lightly. He sighed, put his wedding band on, and made about to rush through his morning routine.

—

Applying to work for Apple was arguably the best and worst decision that Ben had ever made, considering his family lineage came from Microsoft. The coding for Apple, however, made more sense to him, and the company’s ideas aligned better with his own. He tired of the “improvements” Microsoft was making to its software, and the lack of innovation in the company.

Every day at work was different, but the same. Ben enjoyed a hot cup of black coffee every morning at his desk, sitting next to his coworker Brendol Hux, who he both adored and despised. Their relationship was one of a turbulent nature, ultimately fond and disdainful. It had been that way since they were first hired on around the same time.

A few hours of reviewing new code for the next OS release later, Ben decided he could no longer stand to ignore the emptiness in his stomach, and made to get down to the cafeteria when his work phone started to ring.

“Ben Solo, coding.”

“You forgot your lunch. Again. Seriously, what’s the matter with you? You’ve been so off lately — “ a voice began in a huff.

“Lara, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me on my work phone — “

“ — you leave without saying goodbye and the bathroom light is always on when I wake up — “

“ — seriously, babe, this is getting ridiculous. If you need to reach me, just call my cell phone. I can get in serious trouble if you keep calling me here — “

“ — I think we should talk when you get home.”

Silence.

“…okay,” Ben began, head spinning.

“Okay. I’ll see you at home.” Lara hung up.

What the fuck was that, Ben thought, the emptiness in his stomach replaced with something else.

—

On the way home, Ben decided to pick up dinner. He supposed it couldn’t hurt to bring Lara something to perhaps make her less upset with him. His brain hadn’t slowed down since that phone call, and he couldn’t stop wondering what it was that she wanted to discuss.

He and his wife had been together for roughly 4 years, getting married 2 years into the relationship. It was a bit of a brash decision, and he still wondered if it was really necessary. The two had met at a work function when he was interning for Apple. She was a secretary for one of the higher-ups before quitting so that Ben could continue working there without interference, now that he was making enough as a coder to support both easily.

Their relationship, like most he had, was complicated. There was mutual admiration and love, but it was always kept at arms-length. The fear wasn’t that either would get hurt, because there was plenty of hurt there, but neither felt the desire to become intensely romantic, and it seemed to work for them.

Ben turned the corner to the restaurant he’d had in mind, and was about to open the front door when a young woman came barreling out. She fell onto the pavement and rolled until her back hit a street light and produced a sickening sound. Ben, whose mouth was agape, had forgotten all about his appetite by now. He made his way over to the girl, who was seemingly in full uniform. 

“Don’t you even think about coming back!” yelled a short, round man with a squished face.

The girl groaned and cradled her ribs. Ben stood stock-still as he evaluated the situation. 

“Are you alright?” he asked, crouching to see her better.

“I’m…fine,” the girl managed, clearly in pain. Her hair was falling out of the low bun she had at the nape of her neck, and it covered her eyes slightly after deciding to help her.

“I’m gonna call an ambulance. Can you tell me what happened?” Ben said, getting his phone out of his pocket.

“D…don’t call the ambulance. I’m okay, just help me up.”

Ben replaced his phone and frowned. “If you’re sure,” he said, and tried to help the girl to her feet, who was making sounds of discomfort. After a minute of struggling, Ben managed to get the girl to her feet, and helped her to the closest bench. He noticed there was a bruise forming on her left cheek, where she had surely tried to brace her head.

He sat next to her on the bench. He decided to try again to get out of her what had caused her to literally be kicked out of the restaurant.

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” she slurred. She looked down and began to sag forwards. “Feel kinda funny.”

Ben sighed. “I’m calling an ambulance.”

—

“And who are you?” the driver said to Ben.

“Boyfriend,” he muttered, looking at the girl. Why was he going through all of this for someone he didn’t know?

The driver gave him an odd look. “And you just happened to be at her work when the incident occurred?”

Ben shrugged. “I was coming by to surprise her for dinner.”

“Huh.” This seemed to be good enough for the driver. Ben sat next to her in the car and silently cursed his wife for already being mad at him. Surely this wouldn’t help the case.

Ben made sure to stay out of the way as much as he could once they arrived at the hospital, only staying close enough to see what was happening. The girl was transported into a temporary bay to get her vitals and a general idea of what needed to be done. Nurses came in to ask Ben what had happened, and if she had identification on her. Thankfully, they found her wallet in the pocket of her pants, and Ben was not asked what her name was.

The umpteenth nurse of the day came into the waiting room Ben was sat in and asked if he would like to see her before they begin the operation. This surprised him.

“Operation?”

“Yes, sir. Unfortunately, she took quite the tumble and her knee needs immediate attention. She broke her knee-cap and it needs help before the bone splinters do any more damage,” the nurse informed him. He nodded, and followed her back into the girl’s room.

She gave him a weak smile upon entry, and he sat next to her bed.

“Do you mind if we get a moment alone?” Ben asked.

“Of course, sir. Let me know when you’re ready.”

The girl turned to Ben. “I don’t know your name.”

“I’m Ben. Ben Solo. And you?”

“Rey Kenobi.” She extended her hand. Ben looked at her hand and back up at her. “You’re supposed to shake it.”

He laughed under his breath. “Sorry,” he murmured as he took her hand and shook it gently.

“Thank you for helping me. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t rescued me. I owe you.”

Ben shook his head. “Don’t. I wasn’t going to just leave a person in your state there. Consider it a one-off,” he said with a smirk. She smirked back.

—

Ben decided it might be a good idea to call his wife, who was surely presuming him dead by now. A glance at the clock told him it was 9 o’clock, 2 hours later than he was hoping to be home with dinner by. He sighed, and raked a hand through his hair as he listened to the dial tones.

“Hullo?” said a groggy voice.

“Lara? It’s Ben.”

“Oh. Where are you?”

“I’m at the hospital. I was gonna bring dinner home for us but this girl was severely injured outside Pat’s. I couldn’t just leave her here. She’s in surgery right now.”

Lara coughed. “Wait, what? The hospital? Are you okay?”

Ben rolled his eyes. “I just told you, I’m fine. I’m going to wait here for her to get out of surgery. She doesn’t have a phone on her so I don’t know who to contact.”

“Okay…well…I guess I’ll cook something then,” Lara said, clearly disappointed. To this, Ben rolled his eyes again. 

“I’m sorry, babe. I wanted to surprise you but she needed help.”

Lara sighed loudly. “It’s fine. I’ll see you at home.” And with that, she hung up.

Ben cursed under his breath. Why was it always like this with her? Nothing would ever be good enough. He wondered sometimes if this marriage was worth the amount of work it required. None of his other married friends had so much conflict.

He distracted himself with work and games on his phone until another nurse called out for him.

“Rey’s in recovery if you’d like to see her.”

He nodded, and followed the nurse back to recovery. Rey was still under anesthesia, but she had more color in her face. He sat next to her bed again, and watched her slowly come to.

She looked all around her, trying to get her bearings. She gave Ben a very confused look, and was shaking violently. Ben startled at her shaking, and went to get a nurse. 

“It’s a normal side effect of anesthesia. We’ll give her a blanket and try to get her to keep something down. The shaking will wear off over time.”

He exhaled and watched the nurses do their jobs. He wondered what his life would have been like if he had chosen to become a doctor. It was a childhood fantasy of his, to take care of people. Instead, he was working a corporate position. 

He returned to his place at Rey’s side, and noticed her shaking was subsiding.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her.

She looked at him. “I’m great. Better than ever.”

“Good. Listen, I need to head home soon. My wife is pissed. Here’s my number if you ever need anything.” He gestured to her phone and she quickly handed it to him, allowing her to enter his number. “I mean it.”

She nodded slowly. No one had ever gone this far out of their way for her, and it made her sort of uncomfortable. “I don’t have the means to offer you anything in return, but someday I will pay you back for this.”

He shook his head violently. “Don’t even worry about it. You seem like a decent enough person. Before you protest, just thank me. Actually, don’t even protest.”

She laughed. “Okay. Thank you.”

He gave her a small smile. “No problem.” He checked the time. “All right, I should probably get going. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“You’ve done more than enough. Go home to your wife. I’m fine now. My friends will be here soon to check on me.”

“Okay, good. Remember, I’m just a phone call away. Good night,” he said, and headed towards the door.

“Goodnight, Ben.”

He left the facility at approximately 10:30, and got home as quickly as he could. Lara had made a salad and left him a bowl full of it. He graciously scarfed it down, not even realizing how long it had been since he last ate. He did the dishes and finally went to do the thing he had been dreading all day: see his wife.

“Lara? Where are you?”

“I’m in the living room,” she called from the couch.

He slowly moved towards the living room and approached the couch. “Hi,” he said quietly.

She rolled her eyes. “Hi, Ben. Is she okay now?”

“Yeah, she’s up and had some soup before I left. She said her friends would be there soon.”

“That’s good. What was her name again?”

“Rey.” He clacked his heels together and folded his arms awkwardly over his chest.

“Rey.” She seemed pensive. “Well don’t just stand there, come sit with me. Let’s talk.”

Oh god, he thought.


	2. Re-Bump

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU’s are my favorite type of Reylo fanfiction but I do plan on eventually writing within the SW universe. Sorry that Ben’s married! That’ll obviously work itself out later. Stay with me! This chapter is also mostly background. I decided to get it out of the way in one chapter, because we all know how boring that can be. Without any further ado, chapter two. (hahaha)
> 
> Please don’t mind any inaccuracies in the details. Obviously they won’t contribute to the bigger picture! ;)

Finn, Poe, and Rey had been friends since they met at NYU. Rey was a second-year, and was studying astrophysics, Poe a senior, studying aerospace engineering, and Finn was a third-year, still undeclared, but dabbling in some engineering courses. They had originally met in Professor Skywalker’s ‘Preliminary Aerospace Engineering, P.1304’ course, and were partnered together for their end-of-semester project. 

Poe and Rey lived together in a house they were renting in the Upper East Side, that they could afford thanks to Poe’s expensive internship. He made a ridiculous amount of money working as an intern for SpaceX, and Rey was making a decent amount working in a coffee shop a couple blocks away. She hoped to eventually also work for SpaceX or do research, but her gig would do for now.

Finn, on the other hand, was a complete mess. He had no idea what he wanted to do, though he found physics very interesting. He was currently getting required courses out of the way, but it was coming time for him to declare his major. On the side, he worked with the Resistance, which was a small, poorly funded organization working to combat the racial and gender prejudice of the UES area. The leader, or as the organizers called her, “general” Leia Organa was the founder of the company. Her mother’s work in the same field had inspired her to continue the legacy, but family matters had destroyed their work, and Leia had taken it upon herself to start anew.

Ben’s grandfather had brainwashed him in his teen years into believing that his mother was doing it all for the wrong reasons, and that he should be embarrassed of her. Somehow, this had worked on him, and his relationship with her had been strained since. Eventually, it became too much to bear, and he and his parents had a huge, ugly blow-up fight that ended in him moving out the same night. He’d crashed on his best friend Hux’s couch for a month before he found a job and a place he could afford.

Needless to say, that year had been a rough one for Ben. He’d gone by the name Kylo Ren for a few years so that he could disconnect himself from the Ben that disowned his parents. That was never a firm decision, but the argument had kind of eliminated the possibility of a solution for a while. He went down a bad path, meeting a dealer who went by the alias “Snoke” and smoking weed excessively, dabbling in other drugs. His mother had somehow found him passed out in an alley one day, and the relationship was somehow restored after making him see what a terrible thing he was doing to himself. He decided he needed professional help, and was sent to treatment for 6 weeks, with a full year afterwards of sober living, where he met a close friend, Gwen Phasma. He had no desire to relapse after that year, and is presently 8 years sober. 

Rey’s past is mostly unknown, due to her early abandonment. She didn’t know a lot about her family, and she didn’t seem to care. Early on, she had to accept that she wasn’t going to have a family, and that she would have to make something of herself on her own. She waited around for a long time, hoping that they would come back for her after abandoning her, and grew tired of waiting.

The decision to move in with Poe came quickly and unexpectedly. Rey had to break a lease early, due to her last roommate bailing suddenly, and Poe was already looking for a new place. The two were wandering down a random avenue in the Upper East Side and stumbled upon a rustic, two-story house. It happened to be perfect for their needs, and they signed a lease right away.

Rey had no qualms about moving in with Poe. He cleaned up after himself, and he cooked every day. Presently, he was cooking up a rice dish with salmon, and Rey was practically drooling at the scent.

“How much loooonger?” she whined from the couch. She was finishing up an assignment for her politics class, and had been working on it for the past 3 hours. Her patience, needless to say, was running thin.

“It’s almost done! Do you mind setting the table in the meantime? Use the nicer plates!” he called from the kitchen.

She made to start doing just as he asked when he yelled, “Oh, and set for three! Finn is coming over!”

“What are we celebrating?” she asked with a laugh.

“Friendship! And my promotion,” he added quietly.

“WHAT?!” Rey stumbled into the kitchen and hugged Poe as tight as she could from behind. “Congratulations, pretty boy!”

He laughed. “Okay, okay, now go get cleaned up.”

She saluted him. “Yessir.”

—

“What’s happening here?” Lara asked with a tired voice.

Ben looked around, oblivious. “Where?”

She rolled her eyes. “Between us. We’ve been especially distant recently.”

“Oh. Uh, I don’t know. I’ve been busy with work and —“

“Cut the crap, Ben. Don’t give me some stupid bullshit answer like you always do. What’s really going on?” she said as she stood up.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, honey,” he said as he made to touch her arm. She jerked away from him quickly.

“Don’t touch me. Whatever. This is useless. It’s obvious that some random girl is more important than our marriage.”

Ben shifted. “Oh. The girl. That’s what you’re upset about?”

“What the hell else would I be upset about? You don’t come home until past 10 PM for what, someone you knocked into? Anyone else would just move along and mind their damn own.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware but I’m not just ‘anyone else,’ Lara. There are lots of selfish people out there, and I’m not going to be one of them. She was literally thrown into the street in my path! What was I supposed to do? Kick her out of my way?” Ben threw back.

“I don’t fucking know! I just think it’s…weird that you would spend so much time and energy on a stranger,” Lara said as she went into the kitchen, and started to pour herself a glass of wine.

“I’ve said my piece, Lara. I keep telling you the same thing and you still don’t seem to hear me. If me helping someone who clearly needed help is a problem to you, then I really don’t know what to tell you.” With that, Ben turned around and went right back out the door.

He heard the door open again, but chose to ignore it. “Where the fuck are you going now?” Lara yelled into the night. Ben walked faster. 

He chose to call his friend, Poe Dameron, and see if he could crash at his house for the night.

“Hello?” Poe said, panting.

“Hey, it’s Ben.”

“Oh! Hey Ben! How are ya, buddy?” It sounded like pots and pans were being thrown around in the house. 

“Uh, I’m fine. I was actually going to ask if I could crash at yours for the night,” Ben asked sheepishly.

The clanging seemed to stop. Poe, on the other end, leant up on the edge of the counter and crossed his arms. “Well, I was going to have a dinner with some friends tonight, but yeah, you’re absolutely welcome to come over! What time would you be here at?” Ben could hear Poe telling someone to set a fourth plate. 

Ben huffed out a breath. “I’m actually walking there right now. I’ll be there in 10.”

“Oh! Okay, buddy. See ya then!”

Click.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I love reading your comments! =) I'm off vacation so I should be posting more updates now. Currently working on chapter three.


	3. Remember the Time

The doorbell rang exactly 10 minutes later to reveal a red-faced Ben. Poe grinned and threw the door open, wrapping Ben into a bone-crushing embrace.

“How are ya?” Poe exclaimed. “Come right on in, we’re just about to sit down.”

Ben took his coat off and hung it by the door, followed by his scarf. He followed Poe into the dining area to see Rey and her dark-skinned companion already seated. 

“Guys, this is my friend Ben. We go way back. He just called to see if he could crash last minute. I hope you guys don’t mind.” Poe clapped Ben on the shoulder as he wandered off into the kitchen to grab the entrees. 

Rey looked at Ben in surprise. “Are you…?” she started.

He looked at her too. The reason for my apparently collapsing marriage, Ben laughed internally. “Yeah. You doin’ alright now?”

“Better than ever. Still feel a little woozy from the anesthesia,” she said softly.

Ben nodded. He moved to sit across from Rey when he heard Poe shout from the kitchen. “FINN! A little help, please!”

‘Finn’ hastily made towards the kitchen, leaving Rey and Ben alone.

“So…what brings you here last minute?” Rey asked.

Ben coughed. “Uh, trouble with the missus. You know.” He thought. “Well, you probably don’t.”

Rey giggled. “What happened between y’all?”

“She was pissed that I was out helping you. Pretty stupid, actually.”

“Why would anyone be upset about a stranger helping another stranger?” Rey asked sincerely. “I would’ve done the same for you.”

He shook his head. “She’s just stubborn like that.”

“Oh,” Rey said, and played with her utensils. “What’s her name? Tell me about you,” she said quietly, unsure if she was overstepping boundaries. “It’s the least I can do after you rescued me,” she added quickly.

“Lara. We’ve been married just over two years, and every day seems to be more difficult than the last.” Ben said, mind drifting to better times. He snapped back and gave her a small smile. “Guess that’s the thing about being stuck with someone for so long.”

Rey shook her head. “It should never be about being ‘stuck’ with someone. If you make the decision to marry, it should be for love, not convenience. I may be young, but I’m no fool.”

Ben stared at her. “Aren’t you wise?”

She giggled again. Ben gave her a small smile and pushed his fork around on his plate, mirroring her.

—

Dinner was a success. The four drank champagne and celebrated Poe’s oncoming excess of wealth, as his promotion would be a hearty one. Finn jokingly mentioned a Ferrari gift, to which Poe simply winked at. 

“It’s getting pretty late,” Finn mentioned, checking the time. It was just past 11:30. “I have to get up pretty early tomorrow for an appointment. I’ll see you guys around, though,” Finn said, getting up from his seat. He made to go the door, and turned around. “Oh, and it was nice to meet you Ben! Hope everything works out for you,” he said with a smile, then turned around and left.

Poe sighed, and Rey slapped his arm. “When are you going to make a move?!”

Poe gasped dramatically and held his hands up in surrender. “I thought that was making a move!”

Rey rolled her eyes, and got up to clear the table. Ben stood up first, though, and swooped all of the dishes into his arms before she could complain. Rey shrugged, and sat back down. 

The two friends made small talk about how Rey knew Ben while the latter cleaned the dishes and put them away.

“Yeah, he used to spend a lot more time with me. We were basically roommates, but some shit happened with him and we kinda became disconnected. This was the first time in a long time that I’ve spoken to him, really,” Poe said of his friend.

“What kind of ‘shit,’ exactly?” Rey inquired, resting her chin on her hand.

Poe reclined in his chair. “That’s not really my story to tell.”

Rey glanced into the kitchen to see Ben staring out of the window absentmindedly. “He’s intriguing.”

—

A few minutes later and the three were settled in the living room, binge-watching NCIS. Rey was sitting next to Poe on the larger couch, and Ben was curled up in the armchair next to it, checking his phone occasionally to see no texts or calls from his wife.

At around 1 a.m., Rey fell asleep, quite noisily, on the couch. Poe would periodically have to reach over and move Rey’s drooling face off of his shoulder, until she decided it was more comfortable to lay on his lap anyway. Poe chuckled softly, and moved her so she was laid out completely on the couch, and went to bed himself, bidding Ben a good night.

Ben didn’t sleep much that night. At 8 a.m., he decided he had had enough pretending to sleep, and got up to make breakfast. Rey woke up an hour later to a plate full of breakfast foods in front of her. Ben was back in the kitchen, cleaning dishes again. 

“Oooooh no, you don’t!” Rey yelled, as she stormed into the kitchen, whacking the cleaning brush out of his hands and bumping him out of the way with her hip.

“What? What did I do?” Ben asked.

“You are NOT doing the dishes twice, especially after you saved my ass the other day!” Rey said, scrubbing at a dish furiously.

“O…kay…” Ben said, backing out of the kitchen. He went back into the living room and sat on the couch, checking his phone briefly to see no notifications. 'Does she even care?' he thought. He shrugged mentally. 'Fuck it.' 

“So are you going back to your house today?” Rey called from the kitchen amidst the clanging of dishes. 

Ben sighed. “I don’t know yet.” He got up and went towards the kitchen, leaning against the wall next to her. “She hasn’t reached out to me yet, and with her, that could mean a lot.”

Rey nodded. “I know how that is.”

“I just don’t want to be the one to initiate, you know? Like, this isn’t my fault. I didn’t do anything wrong,” Ben said, closing his eyes.

Rey took a moment to look at the man, the friend who crashed into her life. She went back to her dishes. “I think you should talk to her anyway. Maybe try to straighten things out and figure out why she’s so bothered by what happened.”

“Probably,” he agreed, resignedly. “It’s just…it’s just been like this for our whole relationship. I do something she doesn’t like, and she blows up. She does something I don’t like, and somehow it gets turned on me.”

“That’s not right,” Rey said, putting the last dish away. She folded her arms over her chest and leant her hip on the counter. “Relationships are about compromise, and it doesn’t sound like she’s compromising.”

Ben ran a hand through his hair. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I’m probably giving you a bad image of her. Not all of it is bad. Some of it is…good.”

Rey raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like it.” 

After a comfortable silence, Rey clapped her hands together. “Wanna go for a walk?”

“Sure,” Ben said, following her, who was already walking out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to pump out more chapters now, and there should be another one coming this weekend. Thank you all for the support. It truly means a lot, and keeps me writing.


	4. Keep Love Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1200 hits? Holy guacamolé! Thanks for the support, guys. Didn't think I would actually be writing more chapters to this because I usually don't finish my projects. You guys keep me goin'!

On the pair’s walk, Rey excitedly pointed out landmarks. Though Ben was already familiar with most, he went along with her and was genuinely interested in what she said.

 

The two talked most of the way, occasionally settling into comfortable silences. They talked of Ben’s relationship — Rey giving him some advice that she wasn’t even sure would work — and Rey’s job. He discovered that the owner, a Mr. Plutt, was an unforgiving man, and that she had probably lost her job. 

 

“Wait,” Ben said, stopping in his tracks.

 

Rey followed suit. “What?” she said, looking around confusedly.

 

“I just remembered there’s a position open at the office above ours; I bumped into someone who works up there and they mentioned it earlier. I’ll grab you the paperwork on Monday!” Ben said, clapping his hands together.

 

“Ben, you don’t have to do anything — “

 

“It’ll be great, you’ll love the people up there —“

 

“You’ve already done too much, Ben, please — “

 

“Rey, please just apply. I think you’ll be a great match.” Ben put his foot down.

 

Rey avoided his eyes, looking at the ground. “You don’t even know me.” She was…uncomfortable with the amount of attention this stranger was giving her. 

 

He looked at her sideways. “I’m sorry. I’m being pushy,” he sighed. “I just...you’re a good person, and you’re mature. The job would be perfect for you.”

 

She raised an eyebrow. “What kind of job even is this?”

 

He folded his arms over his chest. “It’s reception, with light office work for an engineering start-up. They want to start building spacecrafts soon, so you could move positions once they start that.”

 

She perked up. “Really?” She remembered her limited experience. “Wouldn’t you have to have a pretty impressive resume for that kind of a job?”

 

He winked at her and shoved her with his shoulder. “I’m sure I could put in a good word for ya.”

 

\--

 

Lunch was simple and relaxed. Rey made sandwiches for the three, and they sat around the table, catching up and talking about their collective friend group, that Rey realized Ben was evidently a part of. It was still strange to her, how this person that she had been thrown into was now going to be a part of her life.

 

Rey found that she loved the twinkle in Ben’s eyes he got when he would talk of things he enjoyed, one of which was a game called Magic the Gathering. 

 

“Wait, you play Magic?” Rey asked, astonished.

 

Ben looked at her with his eyebrows raised. “Is that a bad thing?”

 

Rey laughed. “No! Of course not! I play too. So does Poe, but not as much as me.”

 

“I only started recently, Ben. Rey’s been teaching me. She’s pretty good,” Poe remarked.

 

Ben leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. “Well, I just sold a good amount of one of my decks, but I still have a solid deck I could play.”

 

Rey rubbed her hands together. “Bring it next time you come over. We’ll play, and whoever loses has to…” she thought for a moment. “Uh…”

 

Poe jumped up in his chair. “Loser has to run the block in my tuxedo morph suit!”

 

Ben and Rey looked at each other and shrugged. 

 

“Not exactly what I had in mind, but that works.” Rey smirked. “Can’t wait to see you try to get in that thing, Ben.”

 

Ben rolled his eyes. “Whatever, loser.”

 

Poe eyed Ben cautiously. “So, Ben...have you heard anything from your wife?”

 

_ My wife _ , Ben thought, having completely forgotten his reasons for being with Poe to begin with. He shook his head.  _ I should probably check my phone, anyway. _

 

Sure enough, 12 missed calls and 23 text messages.

 

_ Shit. _

 

Ben sighed. “I guess I need to go home sooner or later.” He got up and started packing his things. As he headed towards the door, Rey came up beside him.

 

“Do you want me to give you a ride? I ride a motorcycle but I figure it’s better than walking…” Rey trailed off, unsure.

 

Ben looked at her in surprise. “Uh...sure?”

 

“You don’t have to. I’m just offering. I need to go grocery shopping anyway so I can use you as an excuse to get out of the house,” she remarked with a glint in her eye. 

 

The corners of his mouth lifted. “I wasn’t refusing. Let’s go,” he said, and before he knew it, the two were in front of his building.

 

“Fuck.” Ben looked up at his apartment complex and sighed, getting his things off the bike.

 

Rey patted him on the shoulder. “You can do this. Now or never.”

 

“Thanks. For everything. I’ll repay you for this someday.”

 

Rey grinned at him. “Not every good deed needs to be matched with another. I’m just such a wonderful person.” She winked at him, mounting her bike again. “Good luck!”

 

And with that, she was gone.

 

\--

 

Ben started opening the door to his apartment when it was suddenly swung open by a very tired Lara.

 

“Where. The. Fuck. Have. You. Been,” she gritted out.

 

Ben scratched the back of his neck. “I was staying with Poe.” He set his things down in the living room and sighed. “I’m sorry, Lara. I shouldn’t have just run away, but it gave me time to think about things.”

 

She leant against the frame between the door and the living room. “And?”

 

He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. “What are we doing here? It seems like we’re always bickering, we’re never happy, on vacations like all the other fucking couples we know. One of us is always ‘too busy’ to do something. I’m tired of the excuses and horseshit, Lara. What the fuck is going on?”

 

Lara looked at her husband. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. She lowered her head. “I don’t know, Ben. I don’t know.” She peeked up at him through her long hair. “But I do know that I love you and --”

 

“Cut the shit, Lara. I want this to be as bad as it needs to be. There’s obviously something that you’re not telling me that’s been causing this...tension. Spit it out,” Ben said, impatiently.

 

She gaped at him. “You’re assuming I’m the one with the problem? What about you, mister ‘some-random-chick-is-more-important-than-my-wife’?” 

 

Ben stood up sharply. “Are you still fucking going on about that? That was days ago! I thought we moved past this!” He started pacing the area. “Are you so insecure about our relationship that you’re actually threatened by a person I was  _ helping _ that was  _ hurt _ ? That’s a big  _ fucking _ problem, Lara!”

 

She straightened up and marched towards him, poking him hard in the chest, driving him to sit back down on the couch. “Don’t you fucking  _ dare _ pretend to know anything about me when you’re hardly even home. All you do is ‘work,’ but how do I know you’re not off, I don’t know, fucking someone else?”

 

Ben felt a pang in his chest. “Do you...honestly believe...that I would just...cheat? Is that what you really think of me?”

 

Lara’s face softened ever so slightly, lowering the finger that was jabbing her husband. “I don’t know what to think, Ben. I just feel neglected.”

 

He shook his head. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t cut my hours at work anymore, and there are a lot of big things coming up that I might need to work even more for.” He took her hands and pulled her to sit on the couch with him. “No matter what, though, please know that I still care for you and you’re always on my mind, at work, on the toilet, in the shower.”

 

She sighed. “You also never tell me you love me anymore,” she said, withdrawing her hands to fold them in her lap.

 

He looked at her.  _ Maybe it’s because you wouldn’t mean it _ , his mind flashed briefly. His eyes internally widened at the thought.  _ You cannot possibly be having this exact thought right now. _ He looked at her again, the wife that was now sitting as far away from him as she could because she didn’t trust him anymore. Didn’t trust the man that had ‘abandoned’ her to take care of a stranger.  _ I wasn’t doing anything wrong. She’s manipulating you. You can’t fall for it again. _

 

“I’m going to bed,” he announced, standing up. “I’ll sleep in the guest bedroom. I need space tonight.”

 

“You had space last night,” she whined.

 

He rolled his eyes with his back turned to her.  _ You did what you could.  _ “Apparently that wasn’t enough.”

 

\--

 

In bed that night, around 9 p.m. he decided to text Rey. 

 

**BEN:** _ Hey. I can’t sleep. _

_ -Ben _

 

No response for 10 mind-gnawing minutes. When did he latch onto this girl so heavily?

 

**REY:** _ Hey! Well, it’s only 9 pm so that’s no surprise :p _

_ -Rey _

 

**BEN:** _ I tried to go to bed early to get away from Her. It didn’t go well _

 

**BEN:** _ I probably shouldn’t even be telling you that bc tmi but whatever, you’re my friend, right? _

 

**REY:** _ You can tell me whatever. I won’t judge for it, as long as it’s not like...murder idk _

 

**REY:** _ So what happened? _

 

**BEN:** _ She refuses to hear me out. No matter what I say she won’t listen. Idk what else to do. I’m reaching the end of my rope _

 

**REY:** _ I’m sorry :( every time I had that kind of an argument with my friends the friendship ended bc imo, those people aren’t worth keeping around. More self-interested than anything else I guess _

 

**BEN:** _ Maybe. She’s always been like this and we’ve managed to make it work this long...all I know is I’m sleeping in the guest room to get away from her again _

 

**REY:** _ Oh wow, that bad huh _

 

**REY:** _ I would invite you to stay here again but I don’t think that would help anything lol _

 

**BEN:** _ Prob not. Anyway, thanks for talking to me. I feel a lil better. I know I barely know you and all and this is prob a lot to be sharing early in the friendship but I just...trust you for some reason _

 

**REY:** _ Nah, idc one bit. It’s honestly flattering more than anything. I’m here for you dude, I’ve been through some shit myself and no one was there for me so I’m trying to be better than that u know _

 

**BEN:** _ Sorry to hear it. You seem to have things more figured out now tho _

 

**REY:** _ It always appears that way, huh _

 

**BEN:** _ Yeah. _

 

**BEN:** _ Anyway, I should probably try to get some sleep. Thanks again. Gnite _

 

**REY:** _ Buenos noches, Benito! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoy text conversations as much as I do, because I plan to write more into future chapters. They're so fun for some reason! I'm trying to kind of swing the story into the direction I want it to go now. I've done enough torturous building, huh? Time to get into the nitty-gritty. =) Thanks again for reading. Hope y'all are enjoying overall.


	5. Bent Nail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Drug use.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some drug use (weed) in this chapter. I don’t know a lot about it but I thought it would be interesting to include in this chapter for some reason. Thought I’d speed things along as well. Hope you guys don’t mind! I also wrote this to “Orinoco Flow” by Enya, so hopefully that explains...some of this. And no, I was not high.
> 
> Apologies for the "Maz owns a bakery" trope. I just adore it.

The next morning, Ben was greeted with paperwork on the kitchen table. 

 

“Paperwork?” Ben looked closer. “Divorce?” He looked around the room, frantically. “Lara?!”

 

He barged into the master bedroom to see the bed made and a note on the blankets.

 

“ _ I know this is probably irrational and short-sighted, but they’re there if you want them. I’m going home to Illinois for a while. I’ll be back in a few days and we can decide what to do, but remember that no matter what we choose, I’ll always love you. Do what you think is right, and I think this could unfortunately be the right thing.  _

_ \---Love, _

_   Lara” _

 

Ben fell to his knees, clutching the letter in complete shock. He must have sat there for at least fifteen minutes, his phone ringing breaking him out of the silence.

 

“Hello?” he said quietly.

 

“Hey! It’s Poe!”

 

He readjusted himself on the side of the bed. “Oh, hey Poe.”

 

“You alright, buddy? You sound a bit off,” his friend asked, concerned.

 

Ben shook his head, then realized that Poe couldn’t see. “Uh, yeah. Just got some….surprising news.”

 

“Do you...want to talk about it?” Poe asked, cautiously. His friendship with Ben had only just been renewed and he didn’t want to screw it up already.

 

Ben raked a hand through his hair. “Maybe not right now. I need some time to process this.” After a tense silence, Ben continued. “I’m okay. I’ll call you back when I’m ready to talk, okay?” He stood up, walking back into the kitchen and holding up the divorce papers in front of his face. He frowned.

 

Poe sighed on the other end. “Okay. Love you, man. Let me know if you need anything.”

 

“Thanks for checking in. Love you too. Bye.” Ben hung up quickly, and took a closer look at the papers.  _ A settlement? Really? _

 

\--

 

Rey had been running around town, handing her resume out to random shops that had ‘help wanted’ signs out front. She hadn’t had much luck, and was reaching the end of her rope. 

 

By the time she had completely circled the neighborhood, she reached a small, very cottage-y bakery on her block. Deciding she could at least reward her hard work searching for a job with a pastry, she entered. Moments after the doorbell rang, a small older woman slowly approached the counter. She adjusted her glasses, waiting.

 

Rey looked nervously at the display. “Um....hi. I’ll take one of the raspberry donuts and two croissants, all to go please.” The woman nodded curtly and made to get the pastries when Rey interrupted. “Uh...crap, sorry.” She scratched the back of her neck. “Do you happen to need any help around here?”

 

The woman looked her up and down through her glasses. “What makes you think I need help?”

 

Rey pressed her fingernails into her palm as she grimaced internally.  _ Well, ya blew it. Great job. _ “I didn’t mean anything by that!” She sighed, lowering her head. “To be honest, I’ve been circling Manhattan all day trying to find work. I’m going home after this.”

 

The woman nodded again. “I see.” She retrieved the pastries and brought them to the counter. “I could use a cashier, I suppose,” she said as she totaled Rey’s order. “Do you have a resume on you?”

 

Rey sighed with relief. “Yes, absolutely!” She handed it over. “Thank you so, so, so much, ma’am. You have no idea how much this means --”

 

A small grin appeared on the woman’s face as she chuckled. “Oh, dear. You’re going to be a handful, aren’t you? I’m Maz, by the way. Maz Kenata.”

 

Rey reached over the counter to shake her hand. “Rey Kenobi. An absolute pleasure to meet you.”

 

Maz smiled as she took Rey’s money and deposited it in the drawer. “You’ll start tomorrow at 9 a.m. We will negotiate the specifics another time.”

 

Rey nodded frantically and took the pastries, rushing out the door. “You won’t regret it, Maz!” she called over her shoulder.

 

\--

 

Ben looked over at the divorce papers for the millionth time from the couch. He groaned and pressed his face into his hands before finally deciding to leave the apartment, taking the papers with him and shoving them in his backpack.

 

Before he knew it, he was back on Poe’s doorstep. Taking a breath, he knocked gently. 

 

A few moments later, a confused Rey answered the door. Ben ran a hand through his hair, nervous again. “Uh, hey...is Poe here?”

 

Rey shook her head, looking at him sideways. “No, he’s at work. Don’t you have any manners?” After seeing his shock, she laughed heartily. “I’m just teasing! Come on in,” she giggled, opening the door for him to enter.

 

He thanked her, and took his shoes off in the entryway.

 

“I was just about to smoke a bowl, Ben! Do you want to join?” Rey called from the living room. 

 

Ben stood before her, gaping at her setup of multiple different pill bottles with labels varying from ‘Skywalker’ to ‘Cheese’ and the intricate bowls she had collected. He narrowed his eyes at her. “Is any of this -- “

 

“Legal? Not technically. Don’t worry about it. My neighbors smoke too so they never rat anyone out. I mostly smoke indoors, anyway.” She put some of the ‘Skywalker’ strain into her grinder, not taking her eyes away from it. “Why are you just standing there? Make yourself comfortable!”

 

He sat down uneasily, a few feet away from her on the couch. He sighed eventually, and set his backpack down next to him, between the two. She side-eyed him curiously.

 

“Whatcha got in there?”

 

He sighed again, hoping she wouldn’t notice, but also hoping she would. He decided to spit it out. “Divorce papers.”

 

She almost dropped her grinder and turned to face him fully, pulling her legs up under her in criss-cross form. “What?!” He almost laughed, but realized the situation, and thought better.

 

“My wife took off to Illinois after the fight we had. That’s what she left behind. I’m torn about what to do, and I need guidance.” He thought for a moment. “You probably don’t have a lot of experience with this so I’m not expecting a straight answer. That’s why I originally came for Poe.”

 

She closed her open mouth and resumed her grinding, moving to dump the contents into her bowl. “Do you want to hit the greens?”

 

He exhaled. “Might as well.”

 

\--

 

“I just don’t  _ get _ her, you know? She doesn’t make sense,” Ben said for the umpteenth time that evening. He looked at his feet. “I don’t know what to do. Do I leave her, Rey?” He looked at her, with total honesty and defeat in his eyes. Her heart broke for him.

 

“I don’t know, Ben. Could you be happy without her?”

 

“Definitely.” His eyes widened at that statement. “I mean…”

 

Rey snorted. “You can be honest. Isn’t that what all of this is about, anyway? Honesty?”

 

“I guess.” He laid his head on the back of the couch and looked at the ceiling. “Fuck!” he exclaimed, running his hands through his hair. He jumped into action again a few moments after his meltdown and rummaged through his backpack for the papers. “Fuck it all,” he muttered, reaching for a pen.

 

Rey’s eyes flew open in alarm, and reached to cover his hands before he signed them. “Wait, wait, wait! Hold up, Ben. Think about this for a moment.” Once she had his attention, she released his hands, and gently tugged the papers away from him. “You need to understand that once you sign this and you’re officially divorced, it will never be the same between you two again. You’ll probably never be together again, and the chances of you talking are slim. Thankfully you don’t have children together, so that won’t be complicated, but this is still a big decision.”

 

He nodded slowly.

 

“I understand completely that you’re hurting and that these arguments have been really hard on you, but are they worth ending the entire marriage over?” Rey asked cautiously.

 

He thought for a moment. He thought over their entire relationship, and couldn’t really pick out any memories, good or bad. Was that a sign? That they hadn’t done anything memorable besides marrying each other? He sighed again.

 

“Yes.” Noting her shock, he continued. “Yes, because there’s not a lot to keep up with. There’s not a lot between her and I. I honestly feel as though nothing is missing, even when she’s gone. It doesn’t hurt the way it should.”

 

Rey eyed him, considering what he said. “You’re sure you’re not just saying this because you’re high?”

 

One corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “Is it drunks or stoners that are terribly honest?” 

 

And with that, he signed the damned papers.

 

\--

 

After he had sobered up, Ben decided it was time to tell Lara his decision. He stepped outside to call her, and listened to the dial tone as he smoked his second cigarette in the last thirty minutes.

 

“Hello?” answered a crackling voice.

 

“Hey, it’s me.”

 

“Ben!” Lara said, sounding as though she had dropped the phone. “Hey, sorry. My niece scared me. How are you? Is everything okay? I’m so sorry I just left, I just needed time to -- “

 

“It’s okay, Lara. I understand. I was just calling to tell you I signed the papers.”

 

A moment passed, then another.

 

“Okay,” she breathed. “Okay, that’s good, because I was going to sign them when I got back, too.”

 

He exhaled. “Good. Well, not really. But...you know. It’s going to be good. Better for us, at least.”

 

She ‘mm-hmm’ed her agreement. “I’m sorry this didn’t work out. I really thought it was going to be like this forever, though, and I couldn’t do it.”

 

“Me neither,” he said, taking a drag and blowing it out immediately. The two had a brief conversation about her family, and decided that she would be back in three days, or that Wednesday, to make it official. Ben would contact the lawyers on Monday and hopefully all would be taken care of by the end of the week. Lara would move back to Illinois and continue her life with her family, and Ben would keep the apartment. 

 

Once they had hung up, Ben put out his cigarette and threw it over the fence, quickly ducking inside.

 

“How’d it go?” Rey called from the kitchen. Ben did a little dance for her and sing-yelled, “I’m divooooorced!” He stood up straight again and added, “Or, at least, I will be, hopefully by the end of the week. No hard feelings either way.”

 

Rey grinned and hugged him as hard as she could. “Ben! I’m so glad. Or sad. I don’t know. What should I be?”

 

He shrugged, and hugged her back, rubbing his nose in her neck. The two stood together for a moment longer than was probably appropriate before awkwardly separating. 

 

Rey turned to go back to the kitchen before remembering something. “Oh! I didn’t tell you! I got a job at the bakery down the block?”

 

He gasped. “What?! Rey, that’s amazing!” He picked her up and spun her around.  _ Just like in the movies, _ she thought.  _ Wait, what? Shut up!  _ She giggled as he put her back down. She kissed his cheek and pranced back into the kitchen.

 

“Yup, at Maz’s bakery. She’s very strange. I love it.”

 

“You’ll fit right in!” Ben hollered from the living room, tucking the papers back into his backpack. “Which one did you say was the relaxing one?” He added, examining her bottles.

 

“Try Death Star!” she yelled back.

 

Ben found the bottle and unscrewed it to be overwhelmed by the scent of weed. He pulled a nugget out and examined it. “So I just...throw it in the grinder and...grind it?”

  
Rey laughed. “Believe it or not, it is that simple! Don’t use too much though, it’s expensive. Take, like...half a nugget.” Rey eventually decided that he needed demonstration, and guided him through the process of loading a bowl. After some fumbling, she was hitting the greens and they were transported to easier times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relatively quick burn, like slowly peeling a bandage off, but not quite ripping it off. I'm impatient, and so are you. Admit it.
> 
> I don't smoke really so I don't know proper terminology, so apologies if it sounded geeky. I've just heard my friends use some slang. Okay, thanks. I'll go now.


	6. Seein' Red

Ben quickly realized that couch lock was, in fact, a very real thing that was occurring to him and Poe, who had gotten in from work very late, presently. The three hadn’t budged from their respective spots in 3 hours, and they were coming up on 1 a.m.

 

As usual, Rey had already fallen asleep on the couch, her feet on his lap, and he was slowly tilting to rest his head on her stomach, and fell asleep gradually. 

 

At around 8 a.m., Rey stirred awake to a drooling Ben Solo, whose arm was draped around her waist, head on her lap. She laughed to herself as she slowly removed him and placed his head carefully on a pillow, and threw a blanket on him. She went to get herself ready for her first day of work when Ben sleep-muttered, “Reeeeey.”

 

She rolled her eyes and got on with her day. Poe had thankfully left some breakfast for her, and she gobbled it up. She decided to leave Ben a note, so he wouldn’t be too confused when he finally woke up. 

 

\---

 

11 a.m. rolled around, and Ben finally stirred from his marijuana-induced slumber. Rey was nowhere to be found, but a note was carefully placed on his crotch from her. He snorted, and started to read it aloud, as he figured Poe was out doing something. 

 

“Dear Benne,

 

I’m at day 1 of work. Wish me luck! There’s toast in the kitchen, whenever you wake up. Happy divorce!

 

Rey”

 

He laughed out loud, and tucked the note into his pocket. He scoped the kitchen out, and sure enough, Rey had made him toast. Butter was placed next to it, as well as an assortment of jams.

 

Half an hour later found him wandering around the neighborhood. He decided to drop by the bakery she was now working at and say hi. She was standing at the front counter, looking at some paperwork intently, when she heard the doorbell ring.

 

“Hi, welcome to -- oh, just you. What’s up?” She put on her best customer service grin, still somehow looking smug. “What got you up?”

 

“Hello to you, too. I just kind of...woke up. Thanks for the breakfast, by the way. You’re too kind.”

 

The two shared a silence, smiling at each other.

 

“So...are you gonna get something or just stare at me, doofus?” she asked, playfully.

 

He shook his head as if to shake off thoughts. “Yeah, I’ll get a medium latte and a croissant.”

 

“Comin’ right up!” she said, as she went off to make the items.

 

He waited at the register, and left a ten on the counter, wandering around the shop to look at all of the artwork the owner had collected. Much of it was covered in real moss and birch.

 

Rey came around the counter and put his items on a table, along with a cup of coffee for herself. She sat down, and put her apron in her lap, watching him.

 

He caught her eye, and sat down with her. “Are you on break?”

 

She nodded. “Apparently they’re pretty slow around this time.”

 

“I see. Who else works here?” He took a sip of the latte she made him and almost moaned at the immaculate texture.

 

“I haven’t met anyone besides the owner. I’m supposed to work with someone else tomorrow,” she said, adding sugar to her coffee.

 

“That’s awesome, Rey. I’m really happy for you.” He looked at her, but she could tell something was wrong.

 

She tilted her head a bit and put her hand over his. “Are you okay?”

 

He exhaled and looked out the window. “I think it’s just setting in. I’m about to be single after, what, four years? I know I’ll miss her at least a little, but I’m not used to being alone. You might be seeing a lot more of me soon.”

 

She gave him a small smile. “That’s fine. I’m happy to help however I can.”

 

He smiled back at her and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry about me. Go back to work. I’m going to go buy some random shit to feel better.”

 

She laughed. “Okay, Ben. Retail therapy is always good.” She put her apron back on and skipped behind the counter. “I’ll text you when I’m off work.”

 

He nodded and left the store, headed straight to the nearest Best Buy. 

 

\--

 

4 p.m. rolled around and the apartment was completely re-arranged. Ben had put all of Lara’s belongings into the guest bedroom to make it easier for her to take when she moved out. He had also spontaneously bought three new video games and a PS4, and had spent an hour playing one of his new games when Rey called.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Ben! I’m walking home right now from work,” Rey said, sounding breathless.

 

“How was it?” 

 

“Amazing! Hey, I’m starving. Wanna grab dinner with me, Poe, and Finn? We’re going to a pizzeria a couple blocks from the bakery.”

 

His stomach growled in perfect time. “Yeah, I’ll head over there right now. I’ll see you in a bit.”

 

She grinned on the other end. “Alright, perfect! See you then!”

 

Ben scrambled to change out of his sweaty clothes and threw some clean ones on, masking the sweat from his object-moving exertion with cologne. Thirty minutes later found him at his favorite deep-dish pizzeria, at a tiny booth crammed next to Rey.

 

The four talked about developments in their lives, Ben’s divorce being the main topic, much to his discomfort. 

 

“So she really just left a note? That’s how it ended?” Poe questioned in astonishment.

 

Ben rested his chin on his hand, bored, and eager to change the topic. “Yup. She’ll be back tomorrow and we’re figuring out all the specifics.”

 

Poe nodded, mouth agape. Finn was busy talking to Rey about some side projects he had for his work, and Ben was thankful that Poe was the only one interested in his divorce. Ben came to find out that Finn was a graphic artist for a popular local magazine. After looking at some of his work online, Ben had subscribed to the online version and kept up with it regularly, deciding he enjoyed it.

 

“Well, I’m here for ya if ya need me, man. I’m glad you’re back,” Poe said, fondly. Ben nodded, and granted him a small smile. “I wanna buy you a drink, to mourn-slash-celebrate,” Poe added.

 

Ben thought for a moment. He didn’t drive to the pizzeria, but he would have to walk a while drunk to get home. “Could I stay at yours after?”

 

Poe laughed. “Of course! You know you’re always welcome.”

 

Rey turned back to Poe and Ben from her seat next to Finn. She looked across the booth at Ben and gave him a questioning look, perhaps to ask if he was okay. He nodded curtly. 

 

“Bar?” Ben asked.

 

“BAR!” Rey confirmed.

 

\--

 

Ten minutes later found the group tipsy with each member holding their drinks and dancing sloppily. Ben broke away from the crowd to take a breather and refill his beer. He eventually decided that sitting would be a less messy situation than attempting to drink a full beer on the dance floor.

 

He took a swig and peered back into the crowd, looking for Rey’s tell-tale red lacy crop top and leather jacket. It was an unusually bold pairing for the normally laid-back girl, but it suited her. Her hair was messy and unkempt, but somehow she made it look like it took a million hair products to achieve. To be concise, she looked amazing and Ben had a hard time taking his eyes off of her. However, as all cliches go, he blamed it on the alcohol.

 

Rey made eye contact with him and motioned with her head for him to join her again in the crowd. He downed the rest of his beer, and stalked towards her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, not wanting to cross any boundaries, and she swayed with him to the beat. A slower song came on and she turned around in his arms. She suddenly leaned her head up and kissed his cheek gently. “Thank you for a great night,” he murmured in her ear. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. “Anytime!” she replied.

 

At around 2 a.m. the group made their way out of the bar, Rey’s arm lazily wrapped around Ben’s waist, his arm not leaving her shoulder. They stumbled to the house, Poe and Finn eventually disappearing into Poe’s room. Rey told Ben she was tired, and the two made their way to her room, Ben leaning heavily on her door frame. Rey took her shoes and pants off, along with her jacket, and crawled lazily into bed. She noticed that he was still standing there, and patted the space next to her hesitantly. “If you want to stay with me, you can, but I’m not going to tell you what to do.”

 

He mentally thanked her, and shook his head. “I should stay in the living room again.”

 

“Oh,” she replied, slightly disappointed. “Okay, then good night,” she said softly as she turned herself in to sleep.

 

He made his way back to the couch and put his hands on his face, leaning back.  _ Fuck _ , he thought.

 

\--

  
After an hour of restlessness, he made his way back to her room, and threw his boxer and T-shirt clad body into her bed, pulling the sheets over him unceremoniously. On the other side of the bed, curled up facing away from him, Rey grinned and pretended to be asleep as she scooted closer to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been anxious lately about posting more chapters. I feel like this isn't flowing the way I wanted it to. Please give me your thoughts!


	7. There Is

The next morning found him with his back to Rey, and her arm around his waist, cuddled up to him, and snoring softly. He lifted the hand that was wrapped around him, and gently extracted himself from her grip. He wrote her a brief note and made his way back to his apartment. Checking the time quickly, he estimated that he would have another two hours before Lara arrived.

 

\--

 

At precisely 11:15 a.m., Lara bustled into the apartment, luggage in tow. Ben stood up from his spot on the couch, and stood awkwardly before her. A brief moment passed before she dropped her bags and hugged him tightly.

 

“It’s good to see you again, Ben.”

 

He released her. “Good to see you, too.” He helped her get her things into the apartment and she got a glass of water for herself.

 

“I’ve put all of your things into the guest bedroom, if that’s okay. Thought it would make things easier later,” he said, knocking his feet together.

 

She looked up at him from the paperwork and gave him a reassuring smile. “Thank you, I appreciate it.” She went back to the paperwork. “Hey, I found a place already in Illinois. I’m moving back as soon as this is settled. Our lawyer, Hux, will be here at 1 today.”

 

Ben had to laugh. “Isn’t this amazing? How civilly this is being settled? I always thought if I divorced that it would be a complete nightmare.”

 

She grinned at him. “It is kind of ridiculous.” She sighed. “Oh well, shit happens.”

 

He laughed again. He would certainly miss her company.

 

\--

 

Three o’clock rolled around and Rey left the shop, eager to get curled up on the couch and take her work clothes off. Her phone started to ring.

 

“Perfect timing!” she remarked.

 

The man on the other end laughed. “Thanks, I pride myself on my telekinetic abilities. How was work?”

 

“Amazing, Ben. I love my fucking job! How was the settlement?”

 

“Not bad, I’ll tell you about it over a nice sushi dinner?”

 

Rey gasped.  _ Sushi? _ “I haven’t had sushi in...three years. I am more than down.”

 

Ben grinned on the other end. “I’ll pick you up at eight. In a real car, too. Believe it or not, I do own one.”

 

Rey giggled. “Okay, see you then. Bye!”

 

Click.

 

She exhaled, and with more pep in her step, walked home.

 

\--

 

Forty-five minutes later found her frowning at her appearance in the mirror. Black high-waisted jeans, black booties, a white halter cropped top, and neutral makeup frowned back.  _ Too clean.  _ She shook her head, mussed her short hair up, and marched back into her room.

 

She stood in front of her closet and decided on a slouchy beige sweater and the same black jeans, with her favorite pair of Adidas sneakers. Throwing her best watch on, she glanced at the time to realize it was already 7:30.  _ Well, I can’t do much now but wait,  _ she thought.

 

Rey plopped herself on the couch and played games on her phone until her doorbell rang. In a cartoonish manner, she popped up and answered the door cheerily.

 

“Hey -- “ she began. “Holy shit, you look great!”

 

Ben tilted his head and gave her a crooked grin. “I don’t look divorced, do I?”

 

She giggled. “Not a bit. Ready?”

 

\--

 

Rey shyly looked around her at the well-dressed, clearly wealthy people dining at the sushi restaurant Ben had taken her to. She would have never expected him to dine somewhere as bougie as  _ Daito _ , and vocalized this opinion.

 

He snorted. “I don’t.”

 

She raised an eyebrow. “So...why are we here?”

 

Ben opened his mouth, his face dropping. “Do you...do you not want to be here?”

 

Rey realized what she was implying and quickly made to clarify when the hostess notified them that their table was ready.

 

“Wow,” Rey muttered, looking at the menu. “I didn’t even know there were this many fish in the ocean.”

 

“That’s not all of them, you know,” Ben replied smartly.

 

She made a mocking face. “I know, mister fancy-pants. I just never would’ve thought to eat them.” He smirked at this.

 

\--

 

The two ordered their meals, and dined quietly, only making small talk as they ate, mostly due to Rey’s obvious pleasure with the food she was consuming.

 

Once they cleaned their plates off, Rey brought up the divorce again, practically begging for details.

 

“There’s not much to say, Rey. It ended peacefully, and we’re both going our own ways. She moves out in two days, back to Illinois,” Ben said, moving a stray piece of rice around on his plate with his polished chopsticks.

 

Rey lowered her head and tried to meet his eyes. “Are you sure you’re not upset about it?”

 

He looked at her. “Of course I’m a little upset about it. It’s only natural.”

 

Rey immediately felt a pang in her chest, and felt guilt. “You’re right. Sorry. I’ll drop it.”

 

A smile briefly passed over his plate before he reclined in his seat, clearly ending the conversation. Rey looked down at her plate and folded her hands in her lap, feeling awkward.

 

“So. Any love interests in your life?” Ben asked with a smirk.

 

Her eyes widened and she could feel her cheeks getting hot. “Uh...n-no…” she stammered. He raised an eyebrow, to which she raised her own. “Please, you just caught me off guard. I don’t have time for a boyfriend,” she said, rolling her eyes.

 

He scoffed. “You have time to meet me wherever, whenever.”

 

She sighed, and stirred her water, resting her chin on her hand. “I guess I’m just not ready to...make the time for another person in my life, you know? I’m happy where I am right now.”

 

He nodded, thinking about her statement.

 

\--

 

The two exited the restaurant twenty minutes later. 

 

“I’m gonna go home. I have an early morning tomorrow,” Rey said, knocking her feet together. “I had fun, though. Thanks for taking me out for your divorce,” she said, giggling.

 

He smirked and knocked his shoulder into hers. “No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asked, hopeful.

 

She grinned. “Definitely. We can smoke again, if you want.”

 

He laughed. “Okay, I’ll bring wine.”

 

“It’s a date!”

 

And with that, she was gone.

 

\--

 

Ben took a little extra time walking home that night, taking in the sights. He lit a cigarette and exhaled into the cool air. What was Rey to him now? Had he complicated things? Was he reading too far in?

 

He shook his head, and pulled his phone out to check the time, realizing he would have to get back to his job sooner or later.  _ 11:32. Damn. _ He quickly extinguished his cigarette and sped home.

 

Later that night, tucked into bed, he dreamt of a girl and her flashing lights.

 

He awoke to his blaring alarm clock at 6:45 a.m.  _ Christ, I’m out of practice _ , he thought, swinging his legs tiredly over the bed.

 

At 7:30 sharp, he was out the door and headed to the metro. 8:16 found him swiping his employee I.D. at the door, and minutes later, at his desk with coffee in hand.

 

\--

 

The day seemed to drag on for Ben. Apple’s next product launch wasn’t for another week, so coding had slowed significantly, only adding final touches to the new software. 

 

He decided to check his email, deleting most of its contents, aside from a few vague work-related ones, and one that caught his eye. Rey had emailed him a selfie of them, captioned “dork 1, dork 2.” He rolled his eyes with a grin and saved it.

 

Hours passed by, and Ben somehow made it to lunch without throttling any of his coworkers. He decided to shoot Rey a text, asking how her day was going. While he waited for a response, he made small talk with Snap, one of the other coders, who was apparently recently engaged. Ben went back to work after promising to attend the wedding, regardless of whether or not he would be invited. 

 

Meanwhile, Rey was dealing with an unexpectedly long line of customers. Usually there would only be around three people in the store besides staff, tops. Her shift was due to end in an hour, but she had a feeling that she would be there longer. Thankfully, she loved her job enough not to mind. The more money she could save for the upcoming fall semester, the better.

 

Finn had made an unannounced visit to her shop. He stood before her, pretending not to know her, and rattled off the order he had written down. “I’ll take my usual, plus three blueberry danishes, one cream cheese, and two chocolate croissants, all to go.” As she glared at him, he winked and put his money on the counter, adding five dollars to the tip jar.

 

“Will that be all,  _ sir _ ?” she sneered.

 

He smirked. “Yes, m’lady,” he snarked, tipping his imaginary fedora. “I’ll see you at yours later tonight.”

 

“Buh-bye!” Rey called, then found her customer-service personality once again.

 

\--

 

4:30 rolled around, and Rey was already an hour and a half overdue to go home. She yawned and stretched her arms out as the shop came to a hum. Reaching for her sketchbook, she quickly drew out the scene in front of her, outside the window. Two birds were pecking at one another on the ground, and the trees’ leaves were just beginning to yellow. The sun was falling from the sky, and Rey was entranced, until her phone rang.

 

She was knocked out of her daze with a jolt, and frantically looked for her phone to silence the ringing when she saw it was Ben. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“Rey!” Ben exclaimed. 

 

“Hey, what’s up? I’m just finishing up work,” she said, tiredly.

 

He frowned on the other end. “Weren’t you supposed to be off earlier?”

 

She yawned again. “Yeah, but we got busy. I don’t mind, though,” she added quickly.

 

“Oh.” Silence. “Well, if you want to come over later tonight you’re welcome to.”

 

She smiled to herself. “Thanks, Ben, but I think I’m just gonna spend tonight with the guys. I haven’t hung out with them in a while.”

 

Ben couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Oh...okay,” he said.

 

“I’m sorry. We’ve just...been spending a lot of time together and I need some time to process the last few days, and I’m sure you do, too. Things have been very complicated lately, if you haven’t noticed,” she said with a chuckle.

 

He laughed shortly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He sighed. “Anyway, I’ll let you get back to work.”

 

“Bye, Ben!”

 

A few minutes later, and Rey was walking home, taking pictures of the things she saw on her walk to sketch later. She had forgotten it was something she enjoyed doing, but her inspiration had come back with a vengeance. 

 

She sketched Poe, Finn, and even Maz, but when it came to Ben, she was almost...afraid to sketch him. His face was constantly in her mind since they had become so close recently, but she couldn’t find the right way to depict him. Instead of a traditional portrait, she decided to outline his face and draw his hair, but fill his face in with an assortment of flowers. Deciding she was pleased with her work, she stashed it away under her bed, and made to start cooking dinner.

 

Poe came bustling through the door five minutes later with several boxes in tow.

 

Rey almost dropped her spatula in shock. “What on earth?” she gasped.

 

He grinned, dropping the boxes on the couch. “Guess what I found!” He clapped his hands together, not waiting for an answer and took his pocket knife out. Seconds later, an assortment of stuffed animals were shaken out of the boxes. “Look!”

 

She cautiously made her way over to the couch. “Where did you find those?” She paused. “Are they used? Did you steal them from a kid?”

 

Poe gave her a look. “One of my coworkers is retiring and his kids just grew out of their stuffed animals. I told him I would gladly take them off of his hands. They can sit right here, in this corner of the couch when we’re not using them,” he said, already arranging his new friends. He held up an orange and white dabbled tabby. “Baby…” he said, softly stroking it. “Baby.”

 

“Baby?” Rey said, raising her eyebrows as high as they could go. She slapped a hand on her forehead, eyes wide. “He’s lost it. He’s gone. Good-bye, Poe. He’s gone.”

 

A moment later, Poe raised his nose to the air. “What’s that smell?”

  
Rey clapped both hands on her cheeks in alarm. “My brussel sprouts!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the Emperor's New Groove reference? I certainly did. Sorry for the long overdue chapter update! I've been trying to work out a schedule now that I'm working again. Updates will be even more scarce, unfortunately, as the fall semester is about to begin.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! As always, if you find any errors or have any critiques for my writing, please do let me know!
> 
> I'm currently on vacation, but if you want to get to know me better, my Star Wars blog is "starwarsstarwarsstarwarsstarwars.tumblr.com" . Don't hesitate to shoot me a message!


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